Metro  |  Southern  |  Northeastern  |  Northwestern

 Why Are Trails Closed?

 It Just Rained, Is It OK To Ride?

Metro Trail Conditions
 Please monitor trail conditions often and do not ride when conditions are wet or closed.
Trail Status Guide Brief Condition Description Update By Date Posted
Afton Alps Dry Trail is good, did a lot of work this weekend. Even cut new trail at the bottom of Shady Lane. Get o... wildride 08-15-2010, 06:59 PM
Battle Creek Dry Trail is dry and sandy in a number of areas. There is a tree down right after Fern gully. I was able... MOAB 08-28-2010, 07:56 AM
Elm Creek Wet Stay off the trails. Pain Cave Spelunker 08-14-2010, 12:04 PM
Hillside Park Tacky A few soft spots but it's in great shape. Yikes 08-21-2010, 07:00 PM
Lake Rebecca Dry Perfect riding conditions for the race tonight! Trail was in excellent shape! VooDooBizango 08-26-2010, 08:05 PM
Lebanon Hills Wet 1.0" in the bucket and still raining this morning. Best to start thinking of something to do other... dave t 09-02-2010, 06:50 AM
Mammoth Tacky Anyone for some West Nile with a side of Malaria:banana::banana:!? Those skeeters are horrible out t... GFisherDaveXTR 09-01-2010, 08:16 PM
MN River Bottoms Dry The trail from Bloomington Ferry to the boat landing is pretty sandy in spots, east of the landing i... Oshibka 08-29-2010, 08:05 PM
Monticello Dry It finally dried up in Monticello (or about as dry as it gets back there), but it is really getting ... cannon98 07-11-2010, 12:03 AM
Murphy Hanrehan Wet Just under an inch of rain fell overnight and this morning. Mike P 09-02-2010, 08:06 AM
Salem Hills Wet The trail will be too wet to ride for probably most of the day. It is unlikely to be dry even this a... NEO2126 09-02-2010, 05:12 AM
Terrace Oaks Wet We had some rain over night and are having showers this morning and through out the rest of the day.... rihaha 09-02-2010, 05:31 AM
Theodore Wirth Dry Trail is sweet. Dry and good to go. Also found a bontrager 29er tire in the clubhouse lot. Turned in... NEO2126 09-01-2010, 06:20 PM

Southern Minnesota Trail Conditions
 Please monitor trail conditions often and do not ride when conditions are wet or closed.
Trail Status Guide Brief Condition Description Update By Date Posted
7-Mile Tacky Rode again this afternoon and they were about perfect! Here's a quick shot of my buddy in the root ... RaleighX 04-16-2010, 05:34 PM
Grandmas Trail Damp Trail was OK for a slower, pack-it-in ride today but overall quite firm despite yesterday's heavy ra... Trevize1138 07-12-2010, 11:46 AM
Holzinger Lodge Tacky Rode Saturday evening (8/14). It was a little greasy and there were a lot of trees down... I counte... MRussett 08-17-2010, 12:12 PM
Mt. Kato Tacky Rode today 95% fast & tacky. 5% mashed potatos with extra butter Mad squirrel and luge were perfect mapletoncarl 06-29-2010, 08:25 PM
Memorial Trail Dry Way dry, but always worth the trip TEA 08-27-2010, 07:24 AM

Northwestern Minnesota Trail Conditions
 Please monitor trail conditions often and do not ride when conditions are wet or closed.
Trail Status Guide Brief Condition Description Update By Date Posted
Jail Trail Tacky All sections have been mowed and are riding better than they do in my dreams:metal:. Watch out for a... Grass Rider 09-01-2010, 09:22 AM
Milaca Tacky Rode yesterday. Still fun but really needs some more people to use the trails. Lots of debris down... endo 08-18-2010, 12:40 AM
Cuyuna Lakes Closed Initial post for Cuyuna's trail conditions thread. gopherhockey 05-19-2009, 11:49 AM

Northeastern Minnesota Trail Conditions
 Please monitor trail conditions often and do not ride when conditions are wet or closed.
Trail Status Guide Brief Condition Description Update By Date Posted
Grand Rapids Dry I rode Legion Trails on way through yesterday....Wally you are selling you and your group's efforts ... fatbaldpop1 07-02-2010, 09:24 AM
Hartley Park Dry at least that's what the rumour is...:) mtnbykr 08-30-2010, 01:24 PM
Piedmont Trail Wet Mickey Roy says wet. Please go on a couple road rides and let our trails dry out a little. A dry w... Adam S 08-25-2010, 11:30 AM
Levis Trow Damp For the most part it was in great condition, with the except of a few very strange areas of dampness... dschiltz 08-15-2010, 07:18 PM

Why Are Trails Closed?

Sustainable trails are built so that water will run across the trail, not down it. When water runs down the trail it focuses the water and increases erosion. Riding wet trails creates ruts that will focus the water and increase erosion.

Riding wet trails also increases cupping of the trail surface and causes puddles to get deeper and wider, both of which slow the recovery of the trail.

Trails are closed (and often fenced off) during the freeze/thaw cycle in the fall and spring. During these times, trails are especially susceptible to significant damage.

Trails may also be closed after significant weather events, or if there are unsafe trail conditions.

The trails around the Twin Cities metro area are particularly sensitive due to the very large numbers of users these trails get every year.

When trails turn into maintenance headaches, land managers start to consider closing trails for good... PLEASE do your part to ensure that we have access to great trails by riding responsibly. Together we can keep these mountain biking opportunities available for generations to come!



Wet Trail Conditions

Beyond major closures, knowing when not to ride after a rainfall can be less obvious. Trails will not be posted as closed or fenced off after normal rainfalls/storms, so it is up to you to make an educated decision. Here are some general rules regarding wet conditions:

- Trails should not be used during wet weather, or when the trail is soft or muddy.
- Trails are open if the trail is firm and the surface will not be disturbed by foot or bike travel.
- PLEASE be patient if the trail isn't ready... allow the trail to dry before riding.
- Trails are typically too wet to ride for 18-24 hours after a significant rainfall.
- Riding wet trails damages the trail by creating ruts that increase erosion.

Please check the Trail Conditions Pages above for the most up-to-date information. And if you ride a trail, please take a minute and update the conditions if they haven't been updated in a while... this is a great way to both help out your fellow riders and help preserve the trails we love!





For more information on the trails shown above, click here to see our trail reviews area.